I was just curious if anyone has done a DIY sail box? I'm considering using pressure treated wood to build mine. I know wood and water don't mix and most likely it will need to be replaced in a few years but I'm on a tight budget so a fiberglass version won't work.

Size is determined by how much stuff you plan to put in the box (you need about 10 feet of length for your sails) and how much room you have under the boat (height to bottom of dolphin striker and room for beach wheels etc.). About 18 to 24" wide and 12 to 18" high is probably average cross section.

Thanks. That previous thread gives some good insight/ideas for me to go from.

One thing I'm toying with is just buying some PVC tubing and a couple of caps. The problem I see is that to buy that large of a tube will cost quite a bit, plus a box gives me the option of putting life jackets, etc. in the box as opposed to the back of my truck.

I was thinking about using 2x4's but I'll probably reconsider and use something smaller. What size of frame and what thickness of plywood would you recommend?

I bought 12" PVC irragation pipe to make my sail tube (box). Bought it from a local irragation dealer. It turns out that buying a whole 20 ft section isn't much more expensive than buying a 10 ft piece. So I bought the 20 ft section, they cut in half for free and made 2 sail tubes. One for me and one for a friend. The endcaps are way expensive, so instead I bought some 1/2" flat stock pvc and fabracated end caps. Turns out that one end of the 20 ft section is flaired to slip over the next pipe, so you can cut a couple of rings out of the flair to make slip over endcaps. To hold it to the trailer I bought 2 - 2" wide 1/8" gavanized sheeting strips and bent it them into U shapes, flanged the ends and used them to bolt tube to trailer cross bars. Works great for storing all the long stuff. Not much room for lifejackets, etc.

You can get the tube at most Home Depot or LowesA 15" tube might fit under your boat and give you some more roomThe tube will last about forever. and is a good cheap solution to sails and boom and equipment storage. And it is just about as cheep to get a 20' sectionI used plywood for ends and drilled holes in the tube and tied them onGary

I'm sorry, but maybe I'm looking at Home Depot in the wrong places, but I've never seen anything over 4" pvc at my home depot... I'm not saying you're wrong, I've only looked in the piping section where the pvc pipes are. What part of the store should I be looking for 12-15" tubing? Thanks.

I too have never seen anything larger than 4-6" at Lowes/Depot. I ended up talking to a friend who has connections at a contractors/public works supply house. They had a 10' section of 8" SDR 35 PVC which was sun bleached, thus not salable. My buddy grabbed it for me. This will be perfect for my Wave main, tiller, and extension.Otherwise, buying a new section of pipe like that is something like $200. End caps are crazy expensive, as someone else noted.

Most of the time for larger pipe you have to special order it. I finally ordered a stick when Menards was having a sale on all PVC pipe. I used 12", the wall is about a 1/4" thick, and it weighs a frickin' ton. I think it cost me about $100, and I threw away 1-1/2ft of it.

You can get the tube at most Home Depot or LowesA 15" tube might fit under your boat and give you some more roomThe tube will last about forever. and is a good cheap solution to sails and boom and equipment storage. And it is just about as cheep to get a 20' sectionI used plywood for ends and drilled holes in the tube and tied them onGary

Is he talking about white PVC or the black corrugated stuff? I could see the corrugated being cheaper, and more readily available in the larger size and longer length. Plus a lot lighter! You'd be more likely to find that stuff at a farm supply store.

My sail box stays on the shore beside my boat, so I made it out of weather treated 2x4's and marine painted plywood. It looks like a casket with little legs. It weighs a ton by design, but I cabled it to a tree, so it can't wander off.

ADS (brand name) pipe is black corrugated pretty cheap and very light weight great sun resistance sand and water fall to bottom of the tube I always removed my sails at the end of the day unless I was going on a really long trip My tube was 20 years old when I sold my 16Gary

yeah, that's not the issue, in fact, that is what I'm trying to build.. the issue, is WHERE to buy the 12"pvc.... however, i did find a plumbing supply that had a 20' piece for around $250.... I'll wait until the road crews have some scraps again and take a piece from their trash pile... I didn't act quick enough last week and they threw away several peices over 10' long of 10" and 12"... but I got permission to take anything in the trash pile next time, so... now I wait. Thanks for the pics, btw. I've seen you "building" post before, and that's what I'mtryign to do...